Where to start.

Some days, today is one of them, there's seems to be too much going on I just don't know where to start or focus my energy.

I could spend hours bloviating on the not so pleasant plight of Lovemore Madhuku the leader of Zimbabwe's National Constitutional Assembly--an umbrella body of civic groups pushing for a new constitution in Zimbabwe. He has taken a battering in the news over the last few days because he somehow managed to secure himself a third term at the helm of NCA in violation of the groups constitution. He took care of that though, he ammended the constitution. Needless to say, Dr. Madhuku is swimming in controversy. The activist is accused of manifesting the same despotic tendencies his opposes in Mugabe. He fired back at his critics in an interview with SW Radio's Violet Gonda.

The Interception of Communications Bill, which empowers the government to monitor cyber and telephony activities of individuals "suspected of threatening national security" continues to sail through the legislative hoops on its way to becoming law. After being gazetted late last week, it went for reading in parliament's legal committee. If they pass it, the bill could be tabled on the floor for a vote in a matter of days. By the end of the week it could be signed into law.

That's a bogus concept for you, national security in Zimbabwe? Security from what, certainly not from hunger, disease, dilapidated infrastructure, economic implosion and so on. The governent can't even provide workspace for some of their own functions and they want to talk about "national security?" (more...)

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Crisis, Media Oppression, Human Rights

Scenes from Tsvangirai's UK Rally

Speculation continues on the actual number of people who attended Morgan Tsvangirai's Leeds rally on Sunday. Zimbabwe Journalists estimates that a crowd of around 500 people gathered to hear the Tsvangirai and his team address diasporans on Sunday. This is pretty much a consensus figure I have thus surmized from various reports on the rally.

Here are pictures taken during the rally. All photos courtesy of Zimvigil.

Technorati Tags: Morgan Tsvangirai, MDC, Zimbabwe Crisis, Zimbabwe

Cross Posted at Global Voices

Zimbabwe: The first anniversary of Zimbabwe's notorious "cleanup" operation, Operation Murambatsvina passed recently. There was a marked reticence among Zimbabwean bloggers towards organized commerations. Accoustic Motorbike explains her reasons;

Marking the “one year” anniversary of this destruction ignores the fact that Murambatsvina is on going. It’s become a verb, a noun, and a state of being for both the people and the government of Zimbabwe. In the past four weeks alone, Murambatsvina-style evictions have been carried out in cities like Masvingo and Ruwa. Operation Round Up has seen police in Harare “sweep up” over 10,000 homeless people and dump them on a farm outside Harare.

...The government isn’t pursuing any long-term development or assistance project here. But sadly, by not integrating an element of resistance and defiance into the “commemorations,” civil society also will not move towards the long term programme it needs to see genuine democratic change in Zimbabwe. It seems like Zimbabweans are more and more trapped in our own victimhood. We say that things will change when the old man dies. Or that God is watching, and won’t let our suffering continue forever. But there is not the spirit of defiance that is essential if things like collective non violent action are ever to succeed here. As a friend of mine said the other day, “we’re missing the belief that we deserve better. And that we have the right to demand it.”

Over at This is Zimbabwe, the commemoration events were cast acts of defiance in themselves. This post, replete with pictures, honors those who did take a moment to remember the Murambatsvina's hapless victims and explains that the few people that did turn out for the march did so in the face assured police action;

Church leaders in Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, achieved a remarkable victory today in keeping to their original plan to stage a peaceful protest march and hold public prayers, despite the most severe intimidation from Mugabe’s security forces. Many similar events planned by churches and civic groups in other parts of the country to commemorate the anniversary of the regime’s infamous Operation Murambatsvina were either called off or postponed in the face of massive police intimidation. But the steely resolve of the pastors leading an informal group called Churches in Bulawayo, and the courage of several hundred church members who turned out in support enabled the Bulawayo protest to go ahead notwithstanding.

Zimpundit, at Enough is Enough expresses reservations about commemorating Murambatsvina now,

We’re still reeling from the problem of Murambatsvina, you still hear reports of police inadvertently raiding markets, and we still have the same brute leadership. We’re trying to work on this here problem, we haven’t given up yet. We’re not quite ready to even think of giving up yet.

In sense, there’s still too much pain everywhere for us to take time to mourn right now.

The Bearded Man has several news roundups and a couple of podcasts to update you on the latest headlines out of Zimbabwe.

Burundi: Agathon Rwasa cites a report which details how Tutsi activist were arrested for arranging commeration of their brethren massacred by the Buranda government.

He also blogs about the arrest of Térence Nahimana, a former parliamentarian turned activist who was incarcerated after questioning why the government had not started peace negotions with the FNL.
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Desperate for Attention, Moyo "Advises" Tsvangirai

Deposed information minister and political turncoat Jonathan Moyo is out courting ire of Zimbabweans again. This time, he used a long diatribe titled Beyond Budiriro in which assumes a lofty position of wisdom and attempts to dish advice to the MDC. Roundly castigated for his oppressive role in crafting AIPPA (Zimbabwe's unliked media regulation law), Moyo, now Zimbabwe's lone independent parliamenterian is seemingly desperate to rejuvinate his political career.

In the piece, Moyo asserts among other things that Tsvangirai is myopically obsessed with the idea of asserting his faction of the MDC as the "real MDC." In so doing Moyo counters, Tsvangirayi is foolishing extrapolating his popularity within the MDC to reach across to all other Zimbabweans. Like the long slumbering Rip Van Winkel, Moyo seems oblivious to what has been going on around him; Tsvangirayi has been going around the country courting all Zimbabweans to respond to a national agenda for progress and the end of tyranny. This idea that his travels are intended solely for flexing his political muscle is far fetched at best.

Building on the fallacy that Tsvangirayi is in operating from the throes of self aggrandizing ambition, Moyo "challenges" Tsvangirai to pursue the building of a "coalition of the willing" of sorts. It is clear Moyo writes from the deluded assumption that politics in Zimbabwe remains an esoteric confine accesible and malleable only to the elite and the educated. Alas, those days are long gone in Zimbabwe. Fortunately, the new generation of politicians on the rise in Zimbabwe (which include Tsvangirayi and Mutambara but not Moyo) have latched onto this already. This is why they are travelling so extensively and are reaching out to ordinary Zimbabweans.
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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, MDC Debacle, Jonathan Moyo, MDC, Morgan Tsvangirayi, Mutambara

Militarization of Agriculture Failing

Over a month ago, I highlighted the fact that the army had taken over agriculture in Zimbabwe. Apparently Joice Mujuru, the vice president, went to check up on the project on our behalf and was infuriated with what she saw. Zimonline has the report illustrating yet another ZANU-PF failure.

This is the Zimbabwean story not being told or heard in the outside world. Evidence is mounting galore for ZANU-PF's abundant failures: in the economy (inflation, unemployment, GDP decline); education (unmotivated staff, unaffordable fees, insufficient supplies); health (nurse/doctor shortage, hospital/clinic closures, denial of service due government debt by critical suppliers viz a viz pharmaceutical firms); and in politics (corruption, lost election).

The list is endless but we cannot talk about it within the country. It's all an open secret, but there is such a pervasive fear among the people of the dreaded CIO (Central Intelligence Organization) that no one wants to talk about the reality of life. That fear has become the basis of ZANU-PF's endurance.
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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Famine, Fear, Oppression, Violence, Human Rights

Tsvangirai Ventures Abroad Justified?

Just hours after picking up the election victory over the weekend, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai set foot for Europe where he is hoping to hold diplomatic consultations that will help Zimbabwe's tyranny. While the sequencing of his events has been nothing short of brilliant (i.e. going abroad after energizing his parties local spheres,) I'm taken aback at the timing of the trip.

After months of criss-crossing the nation gathering momentum for he dubbed the "winter of discontent," Tsvangirai is leaving the engine unmanned after stoking into life. Several things have happened in Zimbabwe over the last few weeks which in my opinion would have lent themselves malleable as impetus for mass protest. In my young and foolish opinion, now would be the time to strike the match and set the regime asunder because of their calloused temerity.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the economy. The climate in Zimbabwe nothing but disatisfied by the ruling elite's pallid efforts at calming the chaos that is the Zimbabwean economy. With April's inflation figures catapulting Zimbabwe to the heights of global inflation, and parents struggling to send their children to school for the second term (which started two weeks ago), our emaciated economy is at its weekest.

The civic landscape appears primed and ready for countrywide protest. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the umbrella body for Zimbabwe's workers endorsed their leadership late last week. The show of confidence is an indication of of the working class' propensity to follow their leaders should they call a stayaway. Not only is the MDC is a birth child of ZCTU, but Zimbabwe's workers have ground the country to a halt more than once. To date, no other political party, either ruling or opposition, has galvanized public opinion enough to rally the people to hold nationwide protests.
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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai

Budiriro Spurns Mugabe, Mutambara

The anti-senate faction of the MDC--that led by Morgan Tsvangirai--won the Budiriro bye-election over the weekend. In an election deemed pivotal because of surging inflation and calls by the opposition for mass protest this winter, the people clearly signalled that their loyalty is preserved for the party will best represent them. Gone are the days where glamor and glitz, violence and force can will people to vote for a party.

Budiriro is a high density suburb in the western half of Harare. It's a typical working class suburb where the pangs of Zimbabwe's militant inflation have been felt with little mitigation. Last week, it seemed the whole country focused in Budiriro; Mugabe and his deputy came and addressed rallies there, Mutambara attempted a "roadshow" but was rebuffed by the biased police, and after addressng a rally Tsvangirai hung around and visited people in their homes. On Saturday the people of Budiriro chose the suitor whose overtures they had appreciated most; it was Tsvangirai.
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Technorati Tags: MDC, Zimbabwe Elections, Zimbabwe

Too Much Pain: Understanding Zimbabwe's Muted Murambatsvina Commemorations

This week is the official first anniversary of Operation Murambatsvina/Cleanup and there have been a few announcements for events to mark this dark spot in Zimbabwe's history. Interestingly, it seems the idea of commemorating the injustice of the cleanup has met with a lukewarm response at best. Zimbabwe's streets are't buzzing with a contemplative reminiscence. There hasn't been much resonance among most Zimbabweans for the commemoration of those days last year when hundreds of thousands of our fellow countrymen experienced the wrath of Mugabe's man-made Tsunami. This not because we are a calloused people with no regard for the value of lives lost and affected by the brutality of Murambatsvina. Allow me reader to explain Zimbabwean cultures complex dealings with emotional trauma.

First of, welcome to Zimbabwe the country with a culture that places a high premium on the concept of "saving face." In many contexts, the idea of saving face is most ofte associated with Asian cultures. Newsflash: saving face thrives in Africa too. With regards to emotional pain and mourning; you cry only when it is appropriate like at funerals. And if you're a man you're brought up to cry even less. The logic of this idea seems to me to stem from the perception of open mourning as a public symbol of giving up and succumbing to one's circumstances. At funerals when we cry it's because (and you'll often hear verbal expressions of this in the crying) there's nothing we can do to revive the deceased.

When you cry you admit you have been overcome, with that you lose face. Zimbabwean families will do everything they can before they throw up their arms in surrendar, or mourn publicly. This is the reason why when a family has an internal problem, the first person to seek external help however appropriate the move might be, will be castigated. Zimbabweans love to take care of their busines amongst themselves. That's why Mugabe has succeeded in labelling Tsvangirai an arrant knave for "running and airing the nation's dirty laundry publicly."
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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Operation Murambatsvina, Cleanup Operation

What is Mutambara Saying?

Can anyone make sense of the utterings from Arthur Mutambara's two forked tongue? I mean the guy has been on a two week offensive in Europe, but I'm not sure I can distinguish what his platform is. If you followed last week's London fiasco and listened to his remarks you hear a lot of rhetorical questions:

"What is your plan? What is your plan for taking power? Unoitei kanawapinda? (What are you going to do when you assume power?)

What we didin't get from the acclaimed academic are his answers to those question. This boggling trend of his continued in his two part interview with SW Radio's Violet Gonda

"Does Mutambara, - does the MDC that I represent - have a vision? Do they have a strategy from the crisis to the promised land. We should concentrate on the substance of the change that we want to bring about in our country. Sometimes we get caught up in the form of change. We want change, Mugabe must go, ZANU PF must go - but what are you going to do when you get into power? What's your capacity as a party? What's your vision for the country? What's your strategy? What is it that makes you relevant to Zimbabwe, also, what are your principles and values? Do you believe in non violence, are you tolerant, do you believe in democracy, do you believe in collective decision making processes. Are you a democrat? Not only do you believe in these things, but do you walk the talk?"

While good at posing them, Mutambara offers no answers to these questions for himself. So I wonder, does he have a plan? If so when will he present it and will he be able to execute it?

If he has a plan are we supposed to pick it up from conflicting sentiments? On the one hand he claims he is more opposed to Mugabe than the Tsvangirai camp, yet on the other hand he claims he will work them towards toppling Mugabe. In one breathe he'll refute claims that Tsvangirai's congress was attended by 15,000 people (he calls it a rally claiming congresses can only be attended by 5,000 delegates), but in the next claim he was elected by 15,000 at the Bulawayo congress of his party. One moment he speaks about being committed to non-violence but the next he boldly claims he is for jambanja (slang for violence). He speaks out against Tsvangirai's involvement in this weekend's election in Budiriro yet his group is fielding a candidate in same election. And wasn't his faction that forced the MDC to contest in 2005 senate elections?
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Technorati Tags: Mutambara, MDC, Zimbabwe Crisis, Zimbabwe

"Live Within Your Means. Do not Support Corruption"

Pat is a registered nurse in his early 40's working at a hospital in Zimbabwe's northeastern Mount Darwin district. In Zimbabwe's hyper-infaltionary economy supporting his family has become a distant dream. "It's not too much to ask is it," he pondered, as he began to explain how difficult things have been for him in recent months.

"This hasn't been a good start to the year," he tells me. In January of this year, Pat struggled to find a place for his daughter to enroll for "form 1" (8th grade). "I really wanted her to go to Bradley Institute (a Salvation Army Mission High School), but when I when to talk to them I didn't have the money they wanted." He adds, "I'm a qualified nurse, I should be able to afford a decent education for my kids."

Dejected, he resorted to sending her to a school he could afford which also meant it isn't as good. He found place for his daughter at Mavhuradonha high school, a boarding school run by the Evangelical Church. "Anna (his daughter) doesn't like it there, but what can I do?" If she doesn't like the school, how can a 13 year old be motivated to succeed?

Last week Pat's outlook turned even bleaker. Apparently the school invited all parents to come for a "consultation day." Pat is not sure he wants to attend the consultation day meetings. It's not because he is disinterested in his daughter's academic wellbeing that he doesn't want to go. "I've been hearing rumors that they want to double school fees to 40 million and they plan to announce it at the consultation day." His plan by staying away from the meetings is to avoid confirming what has become inevitable in Zimbabwe's economy riddled by inflation at 1,000% inflation; ever increasing prices.

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Technorati Tags: School Fees, Inflation, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Economy, Life in Zimbabwe

Cross Posted on Global Voices Online

Zimbabwe:A whirlwind tour of Europe by Arthur Mutambara the leader of the "pro-senate" faction of Zimbabwe's oppposition the MDC was the center of the nation's largest "cyber controversies" over the last two weeks. In an attempt to reach out to Zimbabweans in the diaspora, Mutambara, the robotics scholar-cum-politician stumbled into the center of diasporans' sharply divided opinions of him.

It all started after Mutambara addressed what turned out to be a poorly attended rally on his first leg through the UK in Manchester and online newspaper Zimdaily posted a citizen authored report from a Zimbabwean who had attended the rally claiming,

I have always read contrasting news in many publications on, Mutambara, Mugabe and Tsvangirai and didn’t know what to believe. As to whether Arthur is popular or not I don’t know but, certainly he didn’t draw any crowd in Manchester and i bet our boozers team (Zimbabwe Saints) of Moston Cemetery Park draws huge crowds than Mutambara and guess what, this was right on a bank holiday weekend only 35 Zimbabweans turn up when thousands live in the same area.

This in response to reports by NewZimbabwe and Zimbabwe Journalists claiming the rally had drawn an attendence of over 300 people.

What followed in the comments of the Zimdaily post was an impressive barrage of opinions from Zimbabweans on either side of the Mutambara divide which impressed Enough is Enough

This is a milestone in Zimbawe’s journey towards democracy. Zimbabweans care about the politics of their country. They have opinions, and want to have a say about what’s going on. Most importantly, Zimbabweans in the diaspora are showing that they care deeply despite their physical absence from home.The internet is the next frontier were the Zimbabwean battle will play out and there ordinary Zimbos will have their say.

When Mutambara returned to the UK for a second rally, the rally was under close scrutiny. Zimdaily liveblogged the event complete with video clips here.

Meanwhile back in Zimbabwe the controversial interception of communications bill faced increasing opposition as Reporters Without Borders released a statement condemning the proposed. The bill also came under fire at the 39th session of the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Sokwanele announced the "Dignity. Period!" campaign.

Burundi: On the ninth annivesary of the Buta massacre, RW calls for "Justice for the Victims of Buta."

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Violence Reported at BUCS

Bindura as the students set fire to a computer lab on the campus in retaliation for police brutality.

Violet Gonda of SW Radio reports that a peaceful student protest against tuition increases led to the arrest of 19 student leaders. According to a spokesman for ZINASU, the Zimbabwe National Students Union police assaulted student leaders and denied them access to health and lawyers.

Bindura, is the capitol of the Mashonaland Central Province a ZANU-PF stronghold.

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Human Rights, Student Protest

Delaying the Inevitable

Zimbabwe's Central Statistical Office (CSO) has delayed the release of April inflation number without cause. Speculation is rife that this move is a shameless bid by Harare to keep the nations four digit inflation under the wraps.

Read more about this here and here.

Need more evidence that Mugabe & Co. are nervous about writing they see on the wall?

Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Inflation, Zimbabwe Economy

Mutambara Courts Controversy in London Again!

8:01 PM UPDATE: Zimdaily has just uploaded this cellphone video clip of Mutambara's second London rally (Flash required).

After a salty debut in the UK last week, Arthur Mutambara the leader of the pro-senate faction of the MDC is back in hte UK. Zimdaily, who live blogged the event and supplied the above video, has the very latest on the Mutambara London Rally here.

*Be sure to read the comments!*

BACKGROUND: HERE

Technorati Tags: Arthur Mutambara, MDC, Zimbabwe Crisis

Dreaming of Nepal: A Criticism of Zimbabwe’s Democratization Mechanism (Part 3)

Despite many breaking news stories in Zimbabwe I want to continue to address the proverbial big picture in a bid to retain some perspective about where we are as a nation. This is the third installation of my "Dreaming of Nepal" series where I'm taking principles that undergirded Nepal's succesfull non-violent protest and evaluating them Zimbabwe through them. Read the first two here and here.

The third step in building towards succesful non violent protest is,

Let there be a build up of protest rallies in many villages and towns to culminate in one decisive protest rally in the capital city. (Take Over Tundikhel) Depending on the local conditions, you might face a military crackdown, or the regime might fall, or you might have to declare the formation of a parallel government that the international community must come forth and recognize.

Our grade: "C-."

Owing mainly to Zimbabwe's political heritage which has confined politics and political power mainly in Harare and some of the other bigger towns and cities, the protest movement has been essentially been centralized in Harare and Bulawayo. Even in 1998, when Tsvangirai ground the country to a complete halt, peripheral cities recorded only marginal involvement in the protest. Another way of seeing this is as manifestation of the exclusive nature of Zimbabwean politics; only the rich, powerful and educated feel empowered enough to exert themselves politically.

So if you're not rich, powerful, highly educated, or resident in one of Zimbabwe's urban centers you have very little political recourse. Tragically, as a third world country most of Zimbabwe's citizens are in one these four disadvantaged groups. Not that poor rural people deserve isolation from political involvement; it's not like they don't know what's best for them or that they cannot think for themselves. In Zimbabwe what is wrong with the country is as plain as daylight and people everywhere know this. The fact is none of Zimbabwe's political movements can do what it takes to restore the country without the involving rural people. Nepal's success derived not only from efficient planning in high places, but most importantly from the simple involvement of villagers from some of the most remote parts of the world.
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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe+Democracy, MDC, WOZA, ZimbaweSituation, ZimbabweCrisis

Singin' the Blues on a Monday in Zimbabwe

Today is a Monday the first working day of a new week. For most of you that's enough bad news right there; you have to get back to the business of getting down to serious business after a couple of days repose in the throes of hedonistic bliss. In Zimbabwe many are singing the blues this morning because today is the day before schools open for the second term. Today is the most frantic day of back to school rush.

Many Zimbabwean children go away to boarding school, today is the day they leave. Cities and towns across the whole country are teeming with school children pristinely dressed in their crisply ironed polyester uniforms. Then there are those trunks; the big black metal boxes into which boarders cram their whole life. Most borders have them complete with a "tricycle padlock." For the lucky few, the student's name and home address are neatly painted in white on the top. Everywhere you look you'll see beleagured parents and students struggle to carry the heavy trunks to their next destinition until they finally get to school.

But even worse than the burden of lugging around a heavy trunk, education has become a burden and not a blessing for most Zimbabwean families. So today they are singing the blues.

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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Education, Zimbabwe Economy

ZANU-PF Reform Document Angers Mugabe

All too wary of their fast deteriorating predicament, Zimbabwe's ruling party ZANU-PF is desperate to figure out ways to rejuvinate the party's image. Apparently the latest effort to spruce up the image, a document authored by Patrick Chinamasa the justice minister, has angered Mugabe.

Zimdaily is reporting that a fuming Mugabe ordered the party's supreme politiburo to return all copies of the document and not discuss it with the press:

The document has angered President Mugabe to such an extent that he has recalled all copies after the meeting and ordered that members of his Soviet-style politburo do not consider it or leak it to the media.

This despite the fact that the author of the document, justice minister Patrick Chinamasa, was requested by the party’s leadership to write and present a discussion paper on the party’s rejuvenation in the face of growing anger against the regime. “It is brutally honest,” said a politburo member speaking on condition of anonymity. “It opened a few eyes and that you can’t change if you want to keep on doing the same thing.”

Chinamasa calls out ZANU-PF tribal's and "personality worshipping politics" in the document. This is apparently what got Mugabe angry, I wonder why?
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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe Politics

Mutambara Rally Controversy Energizes Zimbabweans Abroad

Whether they think Arthur Mutambara attracted 35, 50 or 500 people to his Manchester rally, there's not doubt that the controversial scholar has stirred exiled Zimbabweans into an opinionated cyber frenzy over the facts about his rally.

The rally, which was officially announcedhere, is now the center of a raging battle between supporters of Mutambara and his opponents from across the globe. Complete with typical ad hominem attacks characteristic of any political debate, Zimbos across the world are putting their political loyalties on display as they debate how succesful the rally was. Read this and follow the debate in the comments.

This is a milestone in Zimbawe's journey towards democracy.
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Technorati Tags: Arthur Mutambara, MDC, Diaspora, Zimbabwe

Dreaming of Nepal: A Criticism of Zimbabwe's Democratization Mechanism (Part 2)

As promised, this is the second of eight posts that critique Zimbabwe's democratization mechanization inspired by Paremendra Bhagat's Democracy Spreading Mechanism

The second principle for succesful revolution planning is,

If [there is] more than one party, form a coalition.

Our grade: "F."

To fully understand how the above statement bears out in Zimbabwe, one must first understand the country's political heritage. To do this it is imperative to reach back into the nation's liberation history. There we find that mutual distrust and turgid collegiality were the order of the day. Uninformed peasants had little trust for the leaders of Zimbabwe's liberation movement; liberation cadres didn't fully trust the people because they endured immense pressure from the imperialist forces; and there was little trust shared between the different leaders themselves. There really was never such a thing as a coalition in independence attaining process for Zimbabwe. What Zimbabweans came to know and understand as the modus operandi during the days of the armed struggled can best be described as the politics of fear.

During the days of the armed struggle strongmen cowered the people into loyalty through frequent displays of brutality and playing on the ignorance of the people to trump up fear. Likewise, imperialists employed the same predatory tactitics to keep the people from feeding and abetting liberation soldiers. You either supported vanamukoma the liberation war cadres, or where a traitor selling them out to the Rhodesian Armed Forces. People's actions where for the most part, dictated by their perception of how best to avoid being considered a traitor by either side.

As you can imagine this precipitated unmitigated fear in the people when it came to all things political during the struggle and beyond. What is worse is that Mugabe & Co. did little to mollify said fear in the people when they finally liberated the nation. On the contrary, they ritualized the process of drumming up unwarranted tensions and manufactured volatility particularly through ZANU-PF's youth wing.

So high was the mass hysteria generated by these scare gimmicks, many Zimbabweans essentially divorced themselves from political involvement. While many across the nation reposed in the paralysis of fear, ZANU-PF's henchmen rolled their familiar tactics and consolidated their party's gruff outlook.

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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, MDC, Democratization, Zimbabwean Crisis

Controversy finds Arthur Mutambara on his European Tour

The internet is such a beautiful thing! Using this all equating medium Zimbabwean citizen journalists setting the record straight over what really happened at Arthur Mutambara's Manchester Rally yesterday.

NewZimbabwe.com which is known to be sympathetic to Mutambara's faction of the MDC gloats,

"Addressing cheering supporters in Manchester Sunday, the swaggering former NASA rocket scientist said it was a "generational mandate" to push for the exiles to be allowed to vote."

True to the form of their colleagues back at home who deify anyone whose charisma sways them Zimbabwean journalists waxed,

"Mutambara, who was on a tour of Europe with officials from his camp who include Professor Welshman Ncube and Glen Norah MP Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, told the crowd, estimated at 500, that his faction of the MDC was re-branding to shake off the image that it was a “puppet” of the West."

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Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, MDC, Arthur Mutambara

Cross Posted over at Global Voices

I do a bi-monthly blog roundup from Zimbabwe and Great Lakes region over at Global Voices Online. Here's the latest edition. Excerpt:

Zimbabwe: As Nepal celebrated their revolution's success, envious Zimbabwean observers still trapped on the outside of democratic success couldn't hide their aspirations for the same in Zimbabwe. Nepal's revolution got Zimpundit dreaming,

"As I sit here looking at my computer screen I’m dreaming of Nepal. I so badly want the reality they are experiencing to be mine . I want to be able cower my despot into democracy too!"

Said Eddie Cross,

"Just been watching the celebrations in Nepal following the King’s decision to give in to popular demands that he restore the democratic structures in that country. It is very moving to see this massive commitment by simple, ordinary people in a very poor country demanding that they no longer be treated as feudal slaves to a totalitarian regime but be granted the democratic right to choose their own government."

Eddie is convinced Zimbabwe is showing signs that she is readying for a revolution of her own

Manulite has a harrowing post about his friend Simon who is,

Much shorter than me, which of course is explained by the fact that he's much much younger than me. We both live in Zimbabwe so that gives us a lot in common. But Simon practically survives on the streets. Though he doesn't necessarily sleep on the street at night, his life is a life lived on the pavements of Harare's central business district.

He concludes,

I wonder if Simon can grow up to be a doctor, or a computer geek, with all the iPods, mp3 players, blackberry enabled cellphones and all that stuff? Will he even know such things exist? Will it be his fault when he ends up a thug or in prison? How many children out there are in a situation like Simon's? Surely someone's to blame... who?

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Technorati Tags: Burundi, DRC, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe